It was good to be back on the Hogwarts Express, thought Lily Evans, as she walked with her trunk towards the Prefect compartment. She had been made Head Girl and was anxious to see who the Head Boy would be. She thought it was most likely to be Remus Lupin. Top in every class, abides by the rules, yes, she thought, he seemed the type. He had been Gryffindor Prefect after all...

Lily put her trunk in the luggage compartment and sat down in one of the seats. She was still deep in thought about who the new Head Boy would be when she decided that the new and old Prefects would be their any second. Still the Head Boy had not arrived. What is he playing at? Head Boy's cannot be late. What kind of example would that set for the younger students? Deeply frustrated, she pulled a book out of her bag. She had been reading for not even five minutes when the door slid open. She looked up. Her jaw dropped.

There was James Potter, standing in the door of the Prefect Compartment. She could hardly believe her eyes as they landed on the shiny Head Boy badge on his chest. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms.

"What's the matter, Evans, shocked?" He said. She could hardly think. She would have to do Prefect duties with that prat? Oh how she loathed him. Her first six years at Hogwarts had been spent putting all her energy into hating every inch of him. Him and his ego the size of the world, his Quidditch team, his posse. Everything. Well, except for Remus Lupin. The only one of his friends who seemed remotely intelligent. Then there was Peter Pettigrew. The scrawny boy who followed them everywhere. Then there was Sirius Black. James and Sirius were more like two parts of one whole. They were always terrorizing other students, pulling pranks, talking during class, getting detention, anything against the rules. You name it, they've most likely done it. Sirius was a bit different than James though. Sirius was not obsessed with Lily. He was more up for one night stands. Lily found this disgusting. How could someone just give themselves away like that? But, then again, it was Sirius Black, after all.

"Oh, come on, I know you can talk." James said after a while of her staring at him with a look of utmost confusion on her face.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said after a while, "Who in their right mind would make you Head Boy?" He shrugged.

"It must be my amazing good-looks and Quidditch-playing abilities." Lily raised her eyebrows.

"You? Good-looking?" Of course, deep down inside of her, she knew he was rather good-looking. She quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. He is NOT good-looking.

"Just admit it, Evans, you know you fancy me."

"Fancy you? Are you mental? I have put all of my energy into hating you for the past six years and you think there is even a slight chance that I have any feelings other than loathing for you?" Of course she didn't like him. Much less fancy him. She couldn't believe how immature he was being. Then again, she thought, he did look quite handsome, standing there in the doorway with his hair sticking up like he had just gotten off a broom. N. O. She couldn't possibly think anything good of that prat.

"Evans, do you have to be so harsh?" He said sarcastically.

"I have a first name you know." She retorted.

"So do I but I don't hear you using it." He threw back. He went and sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "It's James. Nice to meet you. And you are?" He said, as if he had just met her for the first time. She pushed his arm off of her and got up and sat back down in the seat opposite him.

"Lay off it, Potter." But, before he had a chance to reply, the Prefects filed in. Lily proceeded to giving them their usual instructions while James threw spit wads at the window to see how long they would stick. Lily made a disgusted face at her but he pretended to ignore her.

After the Prefects had filed out, Lily grabbed her things and was going off to find her friends when James grabbed her arm and kept her from going anywhere.

"What are you doing, Potter?" She said, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Come on, Evans. This is my last year before we don't see each other everyday. Just go out with me already, damn it!"

"And, like I have said a million times before, no!" She said, thoroughly annoyed at him.

"Why not? Why do you always say no, Evans?"

"Because you are a bloody prat, Potter! You care only about yourself and your broomstick! Nothing else matters to you...well, except your hair." She said, her eyes lingering again on his hair.

"You know, how would you feel if I was to die tomorrow and I never got the one thing I really wanted, Evans?" He said, the old sarcasm back in his voice.

"I'd go on about my daily life as usual. The only difference would be the fact that I wouldn't have to constantly reject your offers for a date. I might actually be able to get some schoolwork done without the interupptions."

"Aw, Evans, how can you be so heartless?"

"I'm not the heartless one, Potter. Now, excuse me, I would like to leave before we get to Hogwarts." She pushed past him and made her way to sit with her friends, hardly believing that part of her brain had thought that he was good-looking. She was furious with her self.

"Padfoot, pass the chocolate frogs." James said once he got to the compartment where he had found his best friends. Sirius tossed him a chocolate frog and then went back to dividing the food up amongst the four of them, giving more to himself than anybody.

"So where have you been?" Asked a tired-looking Remus Lupin. The full moon had been only a week ago.

"In the Prefect Compartment."

"Are you allowed in there?" Asked Peter Pettigrew.

"Short-term memory loss, eh, Wormtail?" Asked Sirius, sarcastically.

"I'm Head Boy, remember?" Said James. Peter was always forgetfull, old news.

"Oh, right." Peter stared at James with awe. This made James uncomfortable. But he had thought he would've been used to it by now. Peter had always fawned over him and Sirius. Their good-looks, the way the could always (well, almost always, in James's case) get the girl, they both played Quidditch (James being captain and a Chaser, Sirius being a Beater) and now James's being Head Boy could only increase Peter's look of amazement.

"So, James, what took so long?" Asked Remus.

"Evans." He said simply.

"Oh, turned you down again Prongs?"

"Sod off, Padfoot."

"I was only asking." Said Sirius; he knew James was touchy about this subject, that is wasn't a joke to him. Sirius always wondered what he saw in Lily Evans but he was sure James had his own reasons besides wanting to get her in bed.

The rest of the train ride, the Marauders sat planning their first full moon adventure of the year which would take place next month.